Kyle Kuzma catches strays from Kendrick Perkins for going scoreless after rough playoff opener with Bucks

Kendrick Perkins reacts to Kyle Kuzma
Kendrick Perkins reacts to Kyle Kuzma's scoreless game against the Indiana Pacers (Photo credits: IMAGN)

The Milwaukee Bucks had a rough start to the playoffs and Kyle Kuzma's performance was the most indicative of that. Throughout the game, Kuzma struggled to find his rhythm and as a result, failed to make a single field goal in the entire contest.

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As expected, Kuzma was the target of trolling on social media following his abysmal game. One person who did not hold back in taking a shot at the Bucks forward is ex-NBA player Kendrick Perkins.

The former Boston Celtics champion went on X (formerly Twitter) to criticize Kuzma for his abysmal performance.

"Can somebody tell Kuzma that the Playoffs has started. Jesus Christ," Perkins tweeted.

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The Bucks fell to the Pacers 117-98 in their Game 1 matchup on Saturday. Kyle Kuzma saw nearly 22 minutes of action and attempted five field goals, two of which came from downtown. He also had two free-throw attempts.

Despite having plenty of opportunities to score, he failed to sink a single attempt, whether it was a free throw or a field goal. He also failed to secure a rebound or dish an assist, leaving him with zero positive contributions on the statsheet.

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He did, however, commit two personal fouls — both of which took place in the second quarter. He also had the worst +/- among all Bucks players with a -24. This means his team was outscored by 24 points when he was on the court.

In contrast to Kuzma's struggles was Giannis Antetokounmpo's performance. The Greek Freak led his team with a 36-point and 12-rebound double-double.

A.J. Green, Gary Trent Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. also contributed double-figure scoring for the Bucks off the bench. They scored 15,14 and 12 respectively and were the only Bucks players to cross the 10-point threshold aside from Giannis.

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Also read: Winnie Harlow drops 5-word reaction as she shares loving embrace with Kyle Kuzma after Bucks punch ticket to playoffs


Kyle Kuzma has underperformed against the Indiana Pacers throughout the regular season

Perhaps the Indiana Pacers' defense has been too much for Kyle Kuzma to handle all season long. He played against the Pacers three times this season — once while still with the Washington Wizards and the other two after being traded to Milwaukee. In those three games, he managed to score in double figures once.

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The first time Kuzma saw action against the Pacers was on Nov. 24 as a member of the Wizards. In that game, he saw 30 minutes of action and scored 10 points on 5-for-10 shooting. The Wizards lost 103-115.

The next time he suited up against the Pacers was on March 11 as a member of the Bucks. He played for 30 minutes and scored nine points on a 4-for-9 clip. The Bucks suffered a 115-114 loss. They played Indiana again on March 15 and he contributed eight points while going 4-for-11. This time, the Bucks won 126-119.

Kuzma has averaged 9.0 points per game against the Pacers. Lower than his season average of 14.8 ppg.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi
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